One-year anniversary of the Fly Fire and a timeline of the Dixie
On the afternoon of July 22, 2021, Plumas County residents had already been living with the Dixie Fire for eight days, when a new fire broke out near Keddie on Highway 70. The Fly Fire immediately forced evacuations and closed Highway 70. Resources were quickly diverted from the Dixie to stop the new fire from spreading into town. Eventually it would merge with the Dixie and residents in this county and beyond would be living with the fire threat for months. Following is a rough timeline of the Dixie Fire pulled together from the daily stories that Plumas News posted. The timeline focuses on the impact to Plumas County. This is by no means inclusive, but shows the rapid growth of the fire and some of its impacts.
July 13: Dixie Fire breaks out (flames reported near a power line near Cresta Dam in the Feather River Canyon)
July 14: Blaze is about 1,200 acres
July 18: Meadow Valley, Bucks, Hwy 70 corridor evacuated
July 19: Fire grows to 30,074 acres; evacuation warnings for Canyon Dam, portions of Almanor
July 20: Fire just shy of 60,000 acres; blaze destroys 2 structures
July 21: Dixie Fire now more than 91,000 acres
July 22: Fly Fire breaks out; Dixie surpasses 103,000 acres
July 24: Dixie Fire at 181,289 acres merges with the Fly Fire; fire ravages Indian Falls
July 25: Greenville evacuated
July 29: Fire at 226,421 acres; 23 percent contained; 6,079 personnel assigned to the fire
July 31: Mandatory evacuations for Almanor areas reduced to warnings
Aug. 1: Greenville order downgraded to a warning
Aug. 2: Greenville mandatory evacuation restored
Aug. 3: Chester evacuated
Aug. 4: Greenville burns
Aug. 6: Canyon Dam burns
Aug. 8: Dixie Fire now 463,000 acres
Aug 9: Dixie Fire burning in 4 counties; second largest in state history
Aug. 11: Surpasses 300,000 acres
Aug. 17: LVNP headquarters evacuated; fire surpasses 600,000 acres, growing on many fronts
Aug. 20: Surpasses 700,000 acres
Aug. 31: Dixie Fire explodes by more than 42,000 acres in one day; Army sending soldiers to help
Sept. 2: Containment edges up to 55 percent
Sept. 6: Now surpassing 900,000 acres; structures destroyed in Dixie Valley
Sept. 14: Dixie Fire 75 percent contained; 91 percent contained in Plumas
Sept. 20: Dixie Fire 90 percent contained
Sept. 29: Fire remains at 963,309 acres and 94 percent containment. Suppression work continues
Oct. 25: Dixie Fire 100 percent contained
